The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

RS ee Lal a Ss oo Sa, ' 1} I} TA - ne Ad rn 4 ATI HANS LE REA (% ary ERR AA A LEASE EA LSS ANNE JL ore f ALL YoU EVER DO /5 TURN LEFT / 5 "Spirit of '71 is alive Lastyear's Centennial celebrations here in Port Perry, showed what can be accomplished when the whole town, individuals and organizations alike, work together in a common effort. Last week's Canoe the Nonquon was another example of the co-operative spirit in action with the ~ Yacht Club assisting the Historical Society in a venture, which is beginning to put Port Perry on the map in Ontario caneeing circles. The Chamber of Commerce has just announced it's plans for another celebration in August, and most local organizations have indicated that they will take part. . The "Spirit of 71'seems tobe very muchalive in Port Perry still, and if it continues to flourish throughout our second century, we will all be better for it. Boating Regulations Every weekend from now until the frost comes ~ inthe Fall; the highways will be jammed with motorists travelling to their favourite vacation area. Many of them will sigh with relief as they leave behind the obvious hazards of high-speed traffic and board their boats for a few hours ot peace and quietness. The Ontario Safety League points out that in _realify they are only exchanging one set of hazards and responsibilities for another, unfortunately in many cases, a fact which they do not fully realize. There are Rules of the Road Afloat which are just as important as on the highway, and in many instances, quite similar. When meeting another boat, keep tothe right. Theboatapproaching on your starboard or right side has the right of way. Here is a traffic rule afloat which is somewhat different to the highway, the boat you are overtaking has the right of way, you may pass on either side with caution. Canadian boating Regulations require that approved navigation lights be shown from sunset to sunrise while a boat is in operation. If anchored in a spot which is not customarily used and designated as an anchorage, a boat must show a 360 degrees white light. Fishermen are most frequent offenders in this regard and create a serious hazard to themselves and other boaters underway. Anyone using a non-powered boat after dark such as a canoe or rowboat must carry a light which must be shown in time to prevent a collision. The Ontario Safety League strongly advises pleasure boaters to learn their responsiblities afloat for pleasure and safety. WU Am mmey BILL MILEY UGAR Srice AND WHERE CAN WE FIND A LITERATE MAN? For a writer, facing a deadline with nothing i in his head but a vacuum is about as joyous an occasion as facing his wife at 4 a.m., after phoning her at 5 p.m. to tell her he's going to have two drinks, not three or four but two, with the boys on the way home from work. I hope those figures haven't confused you, but perhaps you get the general idea, Sometimes, however, coincidence creates a column. I had nothing in my head for this week's column. Not even fog. Just vacuum. Good old coincidence came to the rescue. Today, I met in the halls one of my English teachers. He's a mature chap and rot tough. Been through a war and enty-five years of marriage, spent a stretch as a weekly editor, and has raised three children. How much tougher can you get? But he was almost in tears. "They can't read," brokenly; "they can't read". I patted his back and wiped his eyes, as we department heads do, (though I reserve weeping on my gradually found out that he was talking about a Grade 9 class in the four-year stream. : "There, there" I consoled. "Of course they can't read. Neither, with a few exceptions, can my Grade 13 students. Kids aren't supposed to learn to read any more. It might destroy their sensitivity. Now you just go and show them a nice little movie, or let them express themselves on the tape recorder. Or let them lean out the window and watch the cars going by and then have them write a poem. But don't correct the spelling in the poem. You'll destroy their «creative spirit. Just go on back in there and stimulate them." That's one thing my teachers have to admit, When they come to the chief, they get inspiration, motivation, and a fresh new approach. Some of them even say they'll try to stick it out to the end of the term. Well, I felt pretty good, as we all do after giving meaningless advice, but that wasn't enough to write a column about. Got home after school, and opened my mail. There was a very nice letter from Margaret Grieve of Oakville, who tautht for 41 years, and says she hadn't a single regret on leaving it -- The Profession, though there were many good years .and an abundance of pleasant memories. That cheered me up, for some obscure reason. Maybe I'll even stay on another year, and he mumbled - collect my twelve-year pension, which will amount to $38 a month every second leap-year. In the same mail was another letter from an old friend, with a clipping enclosed. It was an article by Norm Ipsen about the rapid rise in illiteracy, or the decline in literacy, or whatever you want to call what's happening to our youth. . A Professor Gold, chairman of the University of Waterloo's English depart- ment blames the school system because it's turning out students incapable of expressing themselves. They can't communicate. I quote the writer of the column, Mr. Ibsen, who says, with tongue in cheek, "Maybe it's because they're being taught by language arts specialists instead of English teachers." Maybe. But I take exception to the professor's sweeping generalization about students expressing themselves. They can. They do. Even the best and mildest of boys have always sworn a bit. But it shakes you a bit to hear some sweet little girl of sixteen drop her books or stub her toe and launch into a communication that would curl the hair of a World War I muleskinner. However, I agree with the professor that the whole situation i is the fault of the school system. The universities blame the high schools, which: blame the elementary schools, which blame home environment or something. This is patent nonsense. My father got through Grade 4 and wrote a beautiful copper-plate script with intelligence. My mother had Grade 5 and wrote wittily and grammatically. That was my home envir- onment. You can't blame the elementary schools. They do what they can with what they get, in the face of a department of education that is about as consistent in its aims as a dart in a windstorm. And you can substitute another consonant for the "d" in dart, if you wish. You can't blame the high schools, who do what they can with an ever-increasing mass of illiterates. What the hell, what does it matter if a brilliant sciznce student, or a math student who will be working with slide rule and computer, writes a sentence like, "Everyone should have a good education so they can go to colXXX collegxx collitch and make a lodda bread"? People worry about literacy falling into the hands of an elite group. In my opinion, it would be the best thing that could happen to English. It would take us back to the glorious days of the Elizabethans, and let the slobs fall where they may. 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 8, 1922 The Raglan Dramatic Club presented their popular play The 'Young Country School Ma'amat Bethel Church. Congratulation to Harold Jackson on having passed his first year examinations at the Medical College. Lewis Diotte has opened a Shoe Repair and Shoe Shine Shop in town. A tank of oil 'to oil the streets from the Sebert House corner to Simcoe Street will arrive shortly. A by-law was passed that the town would assume 30 per- cent of the cost and the "parties in front of whose premises the oil is placed assume 70 percent. x Mr. Fred Brock is having a fine verandah built on the east side of his house. |, - 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 5, 1947 The new High School Bugle Band under the direction of Bandmaster Ted Griffen gave a fine display at Cadet Inspection. Miss Lois Parr of Port Perry was awarded first prize in the short story contest which was open to 300 teachers at the Toronto Normal School. Miss Reta Willard, Chief operator of the Bell Tele- phone here is being trans- ferred to Richmond Hill. 15 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 6, 1957 Lawn Bowling officers this year are Pres. Grace Love, Vice, Helen Stouffer, Sec- treas. Margaret Hayes. Dr. D.C. MacMaster has just completed an intensive short course in-bovine sur- gery at Ontario Vetionary College. The Lions International Convention was held this year in Peterborough. The Port PerryLions took the High School Cadet Band to march with them." Congratulations to Jimmy Wilkinson of Utica who re- ceived first class honours in Industrial Chemistry at the 'Ryerson Institute. 10 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 7, 1962 - After almost 8 eight months of canvassing, plan- ning, investigating and working the new Port Perry Softball Park in nearing the final stages of construction this year. Installed are also four giant 70' flood light poles on both sides of the diamond. Legion President John Maw and vice president Jim Norton appeared before- council and offered the old Legion Hall behind the Post Office to the Village of Port Perry for the sum of $1.00, plus legal fees. Reeve J.J. Gibson thanked them for their generosity and asked them to make the offer in writing. The Port Perry Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society collected $2,240.50 in the canvas for funds, $740.50 more than the quota set for the branch. Funds were col- lected in Port Perry, and the - Townships of Reach, Scugog and Cartwright. e